Light Rail Project wrote:Dear Subscriber, This message provides the latest information on the Inner West Light Rail Extension.On 6 September 2011 the Minister for Transport announced that the 2011/12 NSW Government State Budget has delivered funding for the Inner West Light Rail Extension but the associated walking and cycle path component of the GreenWay, has been deferred.Why has the shared path been deferred?Detailed planning work revealed the complexities of the GreenWay shared path would add to the delivery timeframes, construction risks and costs for the light rail extension.The deferral will allow the Inner West Light Rail Extension to be delivered while the proposed GreenWay is considered as part of a broader active transport plan. Construction of the Inner West Light Rail Extension will not preclude a future GreenWay.What does this mean for the bushcare sites?Importantly, the bushcare component of the GreenWay, which aims to improve the biodiversity, amenity and habitat value along the length of the light rail corridor, will be delivered concurrently with the Inner West Light Rail Extension.What happens next?Geotechnical investigations are now underway along the rail corridor to assess ground conditions. This information will be used to finalise the preliminary design and tender documents currently being prepared. In the coming months, tenders for both the detailed design and construction of the project and the supply of rolling stock will be issued. By mid next year the contracts will be awarded and construction will be underway.The Department of Transport will continue to work with the local councils and the community in the delivery of the project.When will the extension begin operations?The Inner West Light Rail Extension will be operating in early 2014 â€“ just over two years from now. Between now and then, tenders for an appropriate design and construct contractor and rolling stock supplier will be issued and contracts awarded; detailed design will be undertaken; construction of stops, power supply and signalling systems will be completed; and the new service will be tested and commissioned. When will the community see more detail?Following the award of the design and construct contract, detailed design will begin. The community will be consulted on various elements of the project during the development of the detailed design. The project team will keep the community informed of opportunities for involvement together with key project milestones.Further information Please contact the project team via toll free phone line on 1800 636 910 or email lightrail@transport.nsw.gov.au. Further information is also available at http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au.

Thank you for your ongoing interest in the Inner West Light Rail Extension.

I am writing to express my profound disappointment that the Shared Use Path is being de-scoped from the Inner West Light Rail Extension.

While I am pleased that your administration is honouring its commitment to complete this project, the de-prioritisation of an easy win for improving active transport options in the city of Sydney leaves a bad taste.

Sydney lags behind most other State and Territory capitals in its provision of cycleways, including - shamefully - Darwin, which now has a significantly higher proportion of daily trips undertaken by bicycle than we.

Encouraging substitution of bicycles for short to medium distance car trips provides an easy, low cost opportunity for reducing the steadily deteriorating traffic congestion on our overwhelmed road network. Providing an integrated network of cycleways along separated or low-traffic routes is demonstrated in other parts of the world such as Holland, Denmark, London, some US cities and even Melbourne to dramatically increase the uptake of cycling for transport, reducing the burden on public transport and congested roads.

Promotion of cycling for active transport also allows time poor people to incorporate high-intensity, low impact exercise into normal daily activity, instead of either not exercising, or wasting time in gymnasiums and the like that could otherwise be spent in the home parenting their children.

While separated cycleways do not suit all cyclists, it is demonstrated incontrovertibly that if located and executed well, they are effective in providing encouragement to new or otherwise occasional cyclists who lack the confidence to deal with traffic to take up using their bicycle to get to work. This yields obvious benefits in the shape of:â€¢ a more healthy workforce, â€¢ higher productivity, â€¢ lower illness rates, and â€¢ consequently, lower burdens on State-financed health systems and the State finances.We are in the midst of an obesity crisis through worsening sedentary lifestyles. It simply makes no sense to shelve the Shared use Path.

While the de-scoping is being languaged as a deferral rather than a cancellation, given the business case and funding hurdles that turning it into a separate project puts in its way, it is clear to any observer that this decision effectively kills the Shared use Path off. Given the 16-20 times benefit to cost ratio that investment in cycleways has historically achieved, I ask you to urgently reverse this decision before it is too late.

Dramatically improving the uptake of cycling for transport should be near the top of your priority list for improving the health and traffic problems we are experiencing in urban NSW, not the bottom as this de-scoping demonstrates.

For the record, I am not a left-leaning Green-voting sandal-wearing hippy, as it seems those who advocate cycling are usually viewed. I am a university graduate with a business degree, a Certified Practising Accountant of 20 year's standing, and I work for a major financial institution in Information Technology and Governance.

The tragedy of this is that once the overhead power lines are in for the light rail any other construction work becomes much more difficult.

And of course once the line is operational, it will be tricky to conduct any work without "unduly" interrupting the light rail.

So yes, in this case I sadly suspect that "deferred" is just a weasel way of saying no. This is only a slight improvement over the previous state government who would promise the sun the moon and the stars, at some time after the next election and it was just a tragedy that, after 16 years, just when they were getting close to implementing some of those promises, the voters of NSW got tired of waiting.

Even awarding contracts for the construction of the North West Rail link wasn't enough for that to actually, you know, be constructed. Still I am sure some labor mates were happy with the $500 million for which the voters of NSW got nothing.

As for Bicycle NSW, I read a lot about what they are advocating, but nothing much in terms of what they have achieved.

DescriptionJoin us at Parliament House to present the GreenWay petition to Build the GreenWay signed by 10,500 supporters to MPs Carmel Tebbutt, Linda Burney and Jamie Parker. With overwhelming support for the GreenWay demonstrated the 'deferral' to build the GreenWay will now be debated in parliament.

..perhaps a small victory but still remains to be seen whether anything happens..

For anyone interested there is an organised ride on Sunday 26 Feb by Friends of the Greenway. Info here:

I had to laugh upon reading an article on the front page of today's Australian...the article bemoans the spenging of $200k on a bike path in Byron (and $40mil australia-wide). The adjacent article is about the $16 BILLION spent on the botched school library/hall programme.

JV911 wrote:I had to laugh upon reading an article on the front page of today's Australian...the article bemoans the spenging of $200k on a bike path in Byron (and $40mil australia-wide). The adjacent article is about the $16 BILLION spent on the botched school library/hall programme.

Let alone the billions that will be spent on treating the health problems associated with obesity.

Who is online

About the Australian Cycling Forums

The largest cycling discussion forum in Australia for all things bike; from new riders to seasoned bike nuts, the Australian Cycling Forums are a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.